Just before Cambodia, the Mekong splits into a maze of islands and fast channels: the 4,000 Islands. Three islands to stay on, the old French railway on Don Khon, and the Khone falls, among the most powerful in Asia.
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Photo by Basile Morin on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo by Basile Morin on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo by Basile Morin on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo by Basile Morin on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo by Basile Morin on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo by Basile Morin on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo by Pierre André Leclercq on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0
Photo by Basile Morin on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo by Basile Morin on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo by Basile Morin on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo by Jakub Hałun on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo by Pierre André on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo by Adriaan Castermans on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 3.0
Photo by Christophe95 on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo by Basile Morin on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo by Basile Morin on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo by Basile Morin on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Photo by Christophe95 on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
South of Champasak, the Mekong widens to as much as 14 km in the rainy season and splits into a maze of channels and islands: Si Phan Don, the “4,000 Islands”, whose number changes with the flood. Three islands share the visitors. Don Det, the busiest, lines the water with guesthouses and hammocks; Don Khon, linked by an old French railway viaduct, holds the Li Phi falls; Don Khong, the largest, keeps the slower pace of its villages and is reached by a bridge from Route 13.
Photo by Basile Morin on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
The Mekong tumbles over rocks across its whole width, with drops of up to 21 m: the largest falls in Southeast Asia by volume, according to Tourism Laos. On the mainland, about 13 km from Ban Nakasang.
Photo by Basile Morin on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Rapids and cascades in the middle of Don Khon, laid out as a park, with zip lines and suspension bridges at extra cost. Entry is around 30,000 to 35,000 kip, according to recent guides.
Photo by Pierre André Leclercq on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 4.0
Built from 1893 to bypass the falls, which boats cannot pass: about 7 km of track across Don Khon and Don Det, a viaduct between the two islands, the old locomotive under its shelter and, to the south, the remains of the port.
Photo by Basile Morin on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
A loop of the island by bike, past rice fields and hamlets, then the viaduct to Don Khon. Every guesthouse rents bikes, for a few tens of thousands of kip a day.
Photo by Basile Morin on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
Fishermen set their traps in the river channels. Hire a boat in the village, or spend a day kayaking with a guide from island to island down to the rapids.
Irrawaddy dolphins: there are none left on the Lao side. The border pool population, declared functionally extinct in 2016, lost its last dolphin in February 2022, according to WWF. To see them, head down to Kratie in Cambodia, which counted 111 in 2025. Where to see Mekong dolphins →
A small private island with a beach off Don Det, a chalet on the sunset side, and a budget guesthouse on Don Khon, near Li Phi falls.
Photo: Don Falang Homestay
A small private island with a beach, restaurant, bar and water sports; air-conditioned rooms.
≈ $76 a night
Photo: Moon By Night
An air-conditioned chalet with balcony, garden and bar; bikes to rent nearby.
≈ $47 a night
Photo: Pa Kha Guesthouse
Rooms with river-view balconies and private bathrooms, a terrace, near the viaduct and Li Phi falls.
≈ $15 a night
Booking affiliate links · average nightly price checked in October 2026
Minibus and boat · 2.5 to 4 hours
Morning minibuses, between 8 and 9 am, to Ban Nakasang, then about twenty minutes by boat to Don Det or Don Khon: around €9 to €10 in all. Cheaper local buses leave from the southern bus station.
Tickets and times on 12Go Affiliate linkMinibus and boat · 3 hours
Departures at 9:30 am and 12:30 pm from the Champasak east terminal, €13 to €15.
Nong Nok Khiene – Trapeang Kriel crossing
On the Lao side, no e-Visa at this crossing. On the Cambodian side, a visa on arrival paid in dollars, or an e-Visa, accepted at Trapeang Kriel. Minibuses continue to Stung Treng, Kratie and Siem Reap.
Pakse airport (PKZ) · 144 km to Ban Nakasang
Lao Airlines flies Vientiane to Pakse two or three times a day; continue by minibus.
Times and prices checked in October 2026 (12Go, travel guides): check again before you travel.
November to February brings 30 to 33 °C in the afternoon and 20 °C at night, and sandbanks appear between the islands. March and April are the hottest, up to 35 °C. From May to October the monsoon brings about 300 mm a month from July to September: the river rises, some islands vanish and the falls are at their most powerful.
| Month | J (current month) | F (current month) | M (current month) | A (current month) | M (current month) | J (current month) | J (current month) | A (current month) | S (current month) | O (current month) | N (current month) | D (current month) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Airhigh / low | ||||||||||||
| Rainmm | ||||||||||||
| Daysof rain | 1 | 2 | 7 | 14 | 26 | 26 | 28 | 28 | 28 | 20 | 7 | 2 |
| Mekonglevel | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | Low | High | High | High | High | Low | Low |
| Our take | Ideal | Ideal | Fair | Fair | Fair | Fair | Difficult | Difficult | Difficult | Good | Ideal | Ideal |
| Month | Low – high | mm | River |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan (current month) | 5 | Low | |
| Feb (current month) | 7 | Low | |
| Mar (current month) | 41 | Low | |
| Apr (current month) | 89 | Low | |
| May (current month) | 212 | Low | |
| Jun (current month) | 242 | Low | |
| Jul (current month) | 288 | High | |
| Aug (current month) | 301 | High | |
| Sep (current month) | 307 | High | |
| Oct (current month) | 171 | High | |
| Nov (current month) | 56 | Low | |
| Dec (current month) | 14 | Low |
2 tours to book in Don Det and Don Khon
Affiliate links GetYourGuide · Prices checked October 10, 2026
Kayaking along Don Det to the French bridge, then two hours of zip lines over Li Phi falls, a swim at Kong Yai beach and the paddle down to Hang Khone; return by vehicle.
from$45
AvailabilityBy bike to the colonial-era locomotive, Khone Pasoy waterfall, Ban Hang Khone village and Li Phi falls; after lunch, a private boat trip to fishing and bamboo-weaving villages.
from$77
AvailabilitySources: climate, Open-Meteo (ERA5 archive, 1991-2020 averages); islands and falls, Tourism Laos and Vientiane Times (2026); railway, Tim Doling (Historic Vietnam); dolphins, WWF, IUCN Cetacean Specialist Group and Mongabay (2016-2022), Cambodian Ministry of Agriculture (2025); health, WHO (2025) and CDC; safety, FCDO (2026); border, official Lao e-Visa portal and Cambodian embassy in Berlin (October 2026); transport and prices, GeckoRoutes, Wikivoyage and 12Go (2026); activities, GetYourGuide (checked October 10, 2026). Updated on October 12, 2026 by Pierre-Marie Coupry.
Photo by Basile Morin on Wikimedia Commons · CC BY-SA 4.0
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